Banished Pride
by 18wanda
Summary: Sometimes pride is all you have left to cling to. Rose, a fugitive from ShadowClan is running away from the ones trying to kill her, but she will have to realize she can't run far enough to escape her past. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Rose waited in the loft of an old barn, awaiting her mate, Darkclaw to return. The dark warrior was out hunting, and would return by twilight. Rose layed in the warmth of the sunset rays that spread across the loft floor. The she-cat snuggled with her newborn litter under the last warmth before nightfall.

Rose thought of her mate, Darkclaw out in the forest, and hoped he would make it back to her safely.

Right then a pair of glowing amber eyes shown in through the darkness. Darkclaw stepped into the light. His lovely dark tabby pelt was covered in dirt, and a tick crawled behind his ear. His hunt was successful, and he dropped a plump vole at her paws.

"Darkclaw, you came back!" Rose purred, and gave him an affectionate lick on the nose.

"I brought you dinner," said Darkclaw. "So how are they?"

The dark warrior nosed the two furry bundles sleeping against Rose's belly fur. He especially liked the one that shared his tabby pelt who slept on top of his sister.

"They are sleeping right now. Thanks for the vole." Rose dove into it hungrily, finishing it in a few enormous gulps.

Darkclaw unsheathed his claws, and tore at the woodwork under his paws. "We may have trouble."

Rose's fur bristled, and her green eyes widened in terror. "What is wrong?"

"Please. Just relax, Rose. I am sure it is nothing. Just go to sleep. I will keep watch over the loft for the night." Darkclaw sat at the edge of the loft, leaving Rose in her protected nest in the center of the hayloft.

Rose did not ask any questions. She already knew. They were coming for her, to find her, to kill her. Were they following Darkclaw's scent right now in the night? She shivered, and layed her head down in the straw. Sleep did not come to her though. The very thought of danger creeping around outside made her far from sleepy.

The loft was silent for awhile. The kittens were sleeping soundly, and Darkclaw kept a silent look out over the edge of the loft. What Rose did not expect was a blood-curdling screech from below.

The air was suddenly full of yowls and caterwauls from the cats below. Rose leaped to her paws in an instant. "Darkclaw, what is going on?" she wailed frantically.

"We are being attacked. Run! Get the kits to safety. I'll hold them off!" he hissed. His thick-striped tail lashed angrily.

Rose scooped up the two kittens who squealed in protest, and made it a few steps before looking back. "Darkclaw, I can't leave you. What if I never see you again?"

"I will be fine. Now go! There is no time to lose." Darkclaw then vanished from sight, and his brave yowl chorused with the others.

Rose hurried as fast as she could to the back of the loft where she could slide through a hole in the side of the barn. She licked the two kittens comfortingly although she had no comfort to give to them.

Suddenly there was the sound of a cat in pain behind her. Rose whirled around to see her mate, Darkclaw, surrounded by two warriors. The dreaded scent of Shadowclan came over her along with the smell of blood. Darkclaw was bleeding from claw marks running down his back, and his ear was torn badly. Still he stood bravely, hissing threats at the attackers.

"Darkclaw, no!" Rose wailed.

She could only watch as the attackers pinned Darkclaw to the ground, and with a killing bite to his throat Darkclaw was dead. Rose felt tears stinging in her eyes at the sight of her beloved Darkclaw die before her. She wanted to avenge his death, and kill all the maurading Shadowclan warriors, but she remembered Darkclaw's last words before he sprang into battle. She had to get his kits to safety.

Rose did not look back again. She carried her kits through the hole, and ran away from the barn into the forest. She did not dare look back. She had to keep running or they would find her. And kill her. She was not safe anymore.

She stopped in a clearing deep in the heart of the forest. She was tired, and the kittens had to nurse. She stopped for the night in that safe spot as far away from the barn as possible. She tried to banish the memory of Darkclaw's death from her mind, but it stuck there and played repeatedly in her mind.

"Oh Darkclaw. What will I do without you? Where will I go?" Rose meowed softly. Only her dark tabby kitten would ever remind her of his face again. Out here in the forest she was vulnerable with everything to lose.


	2. Chapter 2

It was not only the sounds of her kittens mewling that woke Rose that night shortly before dawn. Through the underbrush her keen ears picked up the sounds of cats moving only tail-lengths ahead of her.

Shadowclan warriors.

Rose crouched down to hide in the ferns. Her rosy gray pelt made her blend in with her surroundings. Would that be enough? _I am banished from Shadowclan,_ she thought silently. _They must never find me or me and my litter will be killed._

"Ginger, I smell strange scent over in the ferns over there," a voice said. It belonged to a calico she-cat.

The ginger what seemed to be an apprentice hissed. "I think you're right, Lila. Intruders."

Intruders? Rose wondered. She had not remembered straying into another Clan's territory.

"Who goes there?" Lila ordered. "Show yourselves."

Rose could not remain hidden any longer. She grabbed the two kittens and emerged into the open in front of the strangers. Her fur bristled. She _was_ a fierce Shadowclan warrior before her banishment, and one of the most strict rules she learned as an apprentice was not to act inferior to anyone. "I am just passing through. If you want to hurt my kits than you will have to fight me to the death," she snarled.

"We have no business with your kits or you," meowed Ginger. "We mean no harm. We are merely passing through ourselves." He let his fur lie down flat. He gave her a cautious sniff. "You smell strange."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "So do you. Are you from a Clan?"

"A Clan? We don't know what you mean by that," Ginger replied.

Lila brushed her tail along Rose's flank. "Never mind that. Your kits are getting cold. We will take you somewhere safe," she purred.

"Thank you," Rose said gratefully. She would safely leave the forest, she knew, and leave the threat of Shadowclan far behind her, along with all her memories of Clan life.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what are their names?" Lila asked when the three got back to the alley where they lived.

Rose did not prefer alleys like Ginger and Lila did, who savored the rotton smell that came from metal tins. The air smelled vile to her, and wished she was back in the barn again. But she could not go back there. Shadowclan knew she was there, and would find her again if she returned.

"They are just wiggling balls of fur. How could they be cute?" Ginger scoffed.

Lila cuffed him on the ear. "Be nice. You looked just the same when you were little," she reminded him.

Ginger just flicked his tail.

"This one is Pinekit," Rose said and nosed the black and white one. "And the tabby is Tanglekit." Her only kitten that resembled Darkclaw squirmed beneath her touch.

"Why do they have 'kit' on the end of their names? Why aren't they called Pine and Tangle?" Ginger asked. "We all know they are ugly kits anyway."

"Ginger!" Lila hissed. "They are cute."

"Where I come from every kit is born with their own warrior name. When they are old enough to begin their training the 'kit' turns to a 'paw' on the end to show their determination to hunt and fight for their clan," Rose explained. "That's why."

"All right. I guess they are unique if you put them that way," Lila meowed. "I guess you live with other cats then?"

"Yes, many," said Rose.

"So why are you out here all alone?"

Memories of Darkclaw's death played once again in her mind. "I would rather not talk about it. All that matters not is that me and my kits are safe."

The gentle calico gave Rose a lick on her ear. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, a freshly caught mouse would be nice."

"A mouse? Not here," Lila told her.

"Try this instead. There are plenty of selections in these." Ginger hopped up onto one of the metal tins, and ballanced himself perfectly on the rim. Using his head, he pushed off the lid. It clattered on the floor, and Ginger disappeared inside.

"What could be in there to eat?" Rose hissed. "It smells terrible in there."

"We have a sausage, some garlic toast... some ham and cheese on rye," Ginger called out. He came back out with the oddest food Rose had ever seen. It was meat, but smelled different, burned on a way.

"What is it? It does not smell like fresh-kill," Rose said.

Lila purred. "No, it is ham and cheese. Try some. There are plenty of these in the trash cans."

"Trash cans? I would rather die than put that garbage in my mouth. Where's the pride in that?" Rose hissed.

Ginger hopped down from one of the trash cans with a bite of hamburger with him. "Pride? Is that all you have left to cling on to? There are more important things than pride that make you strong. Now eat."

Rose was hungry, her kittens were hungry. She had to let go of one of the Clan's most sacred traditions for Pinekit and Tanglekit. She nodded her head and began to eat what Lila called ham and cheese. It seemed disgusting at first and made her gag with every bite, but after a few bites it became somewhat delicious. She would have to get used to such foods as these and push fresh-kill good-bye because she could not return to the life she once knew. Somehow Rose had to forget the ways of her ancestors, and live this new life. Somehow she would have to make the best of it.


	4. Chapter 4

The full moon shone in the sky that night, marking Rose's first moon staying with Lila and Ginger in the alley. She knew in the forest under the High Rock the gathering was taking place where all four of the Clans would meet in harmony. No, she could not think that again. She could not think of the lfe she left behind.

Times were hard for Rose, and often she thought about old Clan life.

Rose sighed and watched Pinekit and Tanglekit play amonst themselves. They ran and tumbled all over the shed floor. They did not know of their Shadowclan heritage. They didn't even remember their time in the Shadowclan nursery.

"Catch this, Pinekit!" Tanglekit exclaimed, and sent a wad of hay towards his sister.

The smaller kitten dodged it easily, and sent it back to Tanglekit who waited to pummel it with his claws.

Rose purred at the sight of them playing so happily. _Darkclaw would be proud_, she thought.

Suddenly Pinekit leaped up on Rose's shoulders, and playfully bit at her ears. "Tell us a story," she begged.

Her older brother pranced up from behind. He sat in front of Rose with pleading eyes. "Yes, please tell us a story!"

Rose purred and layed with her paws tucked under her, her tail curled around her side; a perfect storytelling postion. "I will tell you a story of bravery that I was told when I was small. It may be unfamilier to you, but to me it made my paws tingle, and my heart pound with the intensity of a tiger lurking after its prey."

Tanglekit batted at a piece of straw on the ground. "What is a tiger?"

Rose could remember her days in the ShadowClan nursery when she was told of the great TigerClan, the descendants of ShadowClan. She could picture a giant cat the size of a deer with stunning jet black stripes racing down its body lurking through the undergrowth, its watchful eyes scanning through the brush in the dead of night. How could she ever forget?

"Tigers are enormous cats big enough to swallow a dog whole. They were the descendants of cats today. They are orange with black stripes like a tabby, only they run in an endless pattern. I am going to tell you about TigerClan," Rose meowed.

"Wow!" Pinekit shrieked. "They must be so powerful to live in a Clan."

Rose nodded. "Yes, living in a Clan makes them more powerful, and it teaches them to protect and defend each other. The tigers bonded together and formed TigerClan."

Near the entryway Lila looked up at Rose and her kittens and smiled. She then vanished to leave them to their story.

"What did TigerClan do?" Tanglekit asked. He gave a little bounce of excitement.

"Well, I am going to tell you a story of how tigers got their stripes. This story was told to me many times when I was little, and I want to pass it on to you so younwill always remember the legends that make us who we are. They will remind you of life far away and sacred," said Rose.

"Please tell us," Pinekit begged.

"It all started in a forest. There were the three great Clans. TigerClan, LeopardClan, and LionClan. LeopardClan were powerful, and had distinct black spots over their pelts while LionClan were enormous, proud, and had golden manes the color of the sun. But what I am going to tell you is about TigerClan. They were smaller orange colored cats who had little special about them, and had nothing to show their greatness like the other great Clans did." Rose took a deep breath to start the story. "There was once a TigerClan warrior named Thorntooth. He was very jealous of the other Clans' distinct properties, and one day thought of a plan that would prove to the other Clans that TigerClan was a Clan to be feared. So one night he prowled through the undergrowth into LionClan territory and stole Petalkit from LionClan. Petalkit was the LionClan leader's kit, and Thorntooth knew Goldenstar would do anything to get her precious kit back. Perhaps even give them part of LionClan territory."

"Who would do something so mean?" Tanglekit asked. "Stealing kits is cruel."

"Yes, and TigerClan was severly punished for it. Their leader, Shadestar was furious at Thorntooth for bringing Petalkit into camp and ordered for her to be taken back immediately," Rose continued.

Pinekit's stubby tail swished with anticipation. "But why did TigerClan give Petalkit back. They already had her so why didn't they keep her? They could have finally had LionClan's respect."

"They would not have their respect, but their hatrid. Shadestar knew Goldenstar would slaughter them all to get Petalkit back. She was not going to risk her Clan for the sake of one stolen kit. So Shadestar called a gathering that night and returned Petalkit back to Goldenstar as a peace offering. TigerClan was punished. Goldenstar declared that TigerClan warriors could not be seen in daylight. They were only to hunt by night in the shadows for a whole moon. So they did just that."

"Then what happened?" Tanglekit mewed impatiently.

Rose felt her paws tingle as she told the ending that gave TigerClan uniqueness. She told Pinekit and Tanglekit about how at the next gathering the cats of TigerClan showed up with jet black stripes. They had their own marking, and since that night all TigerClan kits were born with stripes."

The kits stared at her with astonishment. "That really happened?"

"A long time ago it did," replied Rose warmly.

"That was a great story. I want to be a TigerClan warrior. I will be the most powerful leader ever, and you will be my deputy." Tanglekit pounced on Pinekit who did not expect his attack. Tanglekit had her pinned.

"No fair! I wasn't ready!" She pummeled him with her hind paws, and threw him off.

The two kits ran out the doorway, yowling and screeching like fighting cats.

Rose recalled the screeches of the ShadowClan warriors when Darkclaw died. The horrible screeching rang in her ears, and made her once again think of Darkclaw.

"Oh Darkclaw. How can I teach them the ways of their ancestors when we are so far from StarClan. Are StarClan still watching us?" Rose murmered.

She went to sleep that night once again thinking of Darkclaw, and of StarClan.

Rose woke up to find tall trees looming around her, their rich green leaves still. The night sky was a dark indigo blue lit by a blanket of stars. Rose crept through the undergrowth, recognizing the grounds she used to hunt on back when she was a ShadowClan warrior. She breathed in the fresh scents of the forest, and inside she never felt more alive. She felt so glad to be back home where she truly belonged, but then that joy was replaced by fear and hatrid. This was enemy territory. Her own Clan was after her, and her own Clanmates had killed Darkclaw. Her paws tingled to run away from the terrible place.

Suddenly from above her head the stars seemed to swirl down to the ground in front of where she was standing, and formed into a cat. There Darkclaw stood proudly with starlight glimmering in his fur. He looked nothing like the ragged, defeated cat he once was before his death. He looked as powerful as the day Rose first met him on ThunderClan territory.


	5. Chapter 5

"Darkclaw, it is really you!" Rose shrieked with joy and excitement. She threw herself forward to snuggle her beloved Darkclaw.

"It is nice to see you made it away from the forest safely," he answered in a low purr. "I come with a message from StarClan."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Rose asked. "Am I in StarClan?"

"No, but I am here to visit you all the same. There is something you must know," the dark warrior meowed.

Rose nodded in agreement. "What do you have to tell me?"

"Something is coming, Rose. Something big. Only you can stop it."

Rose felt her fur tingle.

"All I'm going ot say is that you will find answers at the Moonstone." And with that the dream faded. Rose woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning. She blinked her eyes open and nuzzled her two sleeping kits beside her.

_I'm going to have to leave_, she thought. I have to go to the Monnstone. Rose went out into the morning air and looked up at the expanse of light rising on the eastern horizen. _If I leave now I should be able to get to the Moonstone by sunset._

_No good-bye's_, she decided. _It is best that no one knows where I went._ She could not waste any time if she was going to reach the Moonstone by sunset. Rose did not look back at the shack in the alley where she topok refuge with Lila and Ginger. She had waited for over a moon to get back out in the woods away from all the boisterous sounds of human territory. Her only fear was being found by ShadowClan warriors on her way there. If she was caught she could never escape again. They would make sure of that.

Rose went out of the alley out behind the buildings toward the woods that only were dark shadows against the horizen. Back this way there was only one thunderpath she would have to cross before open country would stretch ahead of her. She stopped one last moment, wondering if she should leave her kits without her protection when she heard rushed paw steps behind her. She whirled around and saw Lila standing face to face with her.

Lila stared at her quizically. Her green eyes shone with concern. "Where are you going?"

Rose didn't know what to say. She could not say why she was leaving secretly to meet Darkclaw at the sacred Moonstone, or could she? "I just have to go. Don't ask questions, please."

The look Rose gave her was enough. Lila nodded her head in understanding. "I will watch the kits while you are away," she meowed.

"I will be back by tomorrow at sunrise. If I take longer than that..." Her voice trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Lila sped off in the direction of the shed where Pinekit and Tanglekit were still sleeping. Rose could not waste any more time. Already twinkling stars were poking in through the night. She began on her long trek to the Moonstone. She left the town, and came to a thunderpath that led to a prairie on the other side. She leaped back as a monster thundered past, spraying foul grit all over her.

_At least this thunderpath smell will disguise my scent for when I enter Clan territory._ Rose took a few tentative steps onto the thunderpath, looking both ways. The roaring sound had stopped for now, and she darted across the warm thunderpath before more monsters came. She made it to the other side right when another monster whistled past. She gave thanks to StarClan for her narrow escape before bounding through the prairie on her way to the Moonstone.

Rose knew when she was on the border of WindClan territory when a fence came into view. Inside were the fluffy white things called sheep. She had never seen them, but she heard at the gatherings from WindClan that they weren't dangerous if cats stayed away from the large feet. She slithered under the snake, as flexible as a snake, and crossed the pasture. She passed a flock of them grazing together, keeping her body low to the ground. She was invisible to the sheep who were focused on the grass. She did cause a few sheep to lift their heads, but they didn't ake chase to the stealthy she-cat.

Rose slipped out the other fence. It was a tight squeeze, but her time outside her Clan had shown on her, and she was skinny enough to get through. She could pick up WindClan border markers a few fox-leaps from the fence. Every landmark in the grassland was marked with WindClan scent. It smelled recent. She would have to make it across their territory secretly. If WindClan found her on their territory there would be trouble for sure.

She snuck through the long grass. She kept her senses open for WindClan sank low to the ground when she heard the sounds of paws pushing the grass. She peered through, and saw the patrol she scented earlier. At their lead was the well-known deputy, Dapplewing and her apprentice. Behind her followed a warrior she had never seen before.

The swift tabby apprentice darted from the group over to a scented log near the fence. His lip curled back in a snarl. "ShadowClan."

Dapplewing came over to inspect. She turned to her team. "Amberpaw is right. There is definately ShadowClan scent here. Fresh too."

"It leads that way," the strange warrior added. He pointed his nose toward Rose.

Rose knew she had been spotted. She would be found if she hid here any longer. If they found her she knew she would be severely punished. She took off through the grass as fast as a rabbit. The long grass scratched at her face, but she was in too much of a hurry to get away that she ignored it.

Yowls of rage split the air from the outraged WindClan warriors. She heard pounding pawsteps behind her. She had no time to look back in case they were gaining. Rose ran as fast as she could. The prairie stretched into some hills. She ran where the grass was thickest so as to disguise herself. Against the shadows it would make her harder to see.

Only when Rose was out of breath did she look back. She saw the WindClan patrol outlined against the hill. Dapplewing screeched in anger. "You will regret straying onto WindClan territory! ShadowClan is going to pay for what you did!"

Rose didn't answer, but kept on running until WindClan territory was behind her, and the strange terrain ahead of her to the Moonstone. _I'm coming, Darkclaw._


	6. Chapter 6

Highstones. The place Rose had not seen since she was an apprentice, traveling with her mentor, taking the traditional trip to the Moonstone to be approved by her warrior ancestors. Her claws felt the smooth surface beneath her paws, and the wind brushed through her fur, and standing on top of the stones looking out over the forest made her feel as powerful as if she were a cat of StarClan herself.

_I am finally here and Darkclaw is waiting for me_, she told herself inwardly. She never thought she would see this place again. She crept into the black tunnel where at the end the Moonstone would await her, glittering under the light of the moon as if all the StarClan warriors in the sky were dancing on its surface. She still felt the fear she felt when she was brought here, following behind her mentor, Riverstone to the place where all would come clear to her, the very passage to the world of StarClan. She crept down the familiar tunnel, feeling the sides press against her whiskers, and Rose carefully walked forward. Not even her keen eyes could make out anything in this darkness, but at last she saw glittering at the end of the tunnel and finally looked upon the awesome glory of the Moonstone itself.

"You will not be entering the hutning grounds of StarClan today, but someday you might," Riverstone told her as Rose remembered her first trip to the Moonstone.

_How does it work?_ Rose wondered. _Is there a secret I don't know about? Maybe this whole trip is a waste of time after all._ No, it couldn't be. Darkclaw expected her to meet him there in StarClan. If he believed she could make it there then she would just have to try and hope the answers would be revealed to her.

Rose pressed her nose against the Moonstone and felt the icy touch before settling down beside it to sleep.

Many times she imagined herself waking up with a canopy of leaves over her head, and the patches in the roof of the warriors making rays of sunshine wake her up for the dawn patrol when she would much rather curl up and nap until sun-high, but this time she was in a new forest. This was not ShadowClan territory, she knew that as soon as she looked around and saw Fourtrees, the four great oaks that marked the gathering place for the four Clans. The whole forest seemed sparkly like the shiny dew drops of dawn had permanately settled on the leaves and grass.

_I'm in StarClan!_ Rose thought with a jolt of excitement. _I am in the realm where only Clan leaders and medicine cats have explored._ She was here, but she had no ime to take a tour of StarClan. She was specifically told to come here to meet Darkclaw, to find truth at last. How long did StarClan stretch on for? No one knew. How could she find Darkclaw in such a vast forest?

Rose ventured forward and felt the presence of many cats around her, but when she would turn to doubletake she saw nothing but the glittering dewdrops. Or were they eyes? She wasn't sure and she just kept walking.

"Greetings. Welcome to StarClan."

Rose flinched with surprise and looked upon a small white she-cat with starshine glowing in her fur. She didn't recognize the face but she knew somewhere in her heart that this cat was familiar. "Are...Are you Petalstar?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady despite the fear that coursed through her body.

"Yes, I was ThunderClan's leader when you were just a kit. I remember Shalestar announcing your birth at the gathering many moons ago. Rosedapple. You were named for the red speckles in your fur."

"Why are you talking to me?" Rose wondered. She vaguely remembered this important cat from ThunderClan's history and felt slightly guilty for forgetting her momentarily. Didn't Darkclaw tell her about Petalstar before?

Shalestar stepped aside and the ferns rustled behind her as a second cat stepped out of the shadows, and Rose was spell bound by the starlight shimmering in his fur like on the night she first laid eyes on him for the first time.

"I have brought you someone who wants to talk to you."

"Darkclaw." For now the important message could wait. Right now her attention was only for Darkclaw, and they embraced, Rose enjoying the cool starlight that made Darkclaw feel as cold as stone but still so alive, and Darkclaw enjoyed the warmth of the living.

"It is time I tell you what is to happen." Darkclaw stood back and his amber eyes were now serious, all the joy gone in a heartbeat. "You have stopped this before and you can do it again. There is something big going to happen, and not even StarClan can help save the cats from their own stupidity. Many cats are going to die."

Rose found it hard to breathe at that moment. "A battle."

Darkclaw nodded. "ShadowClan are going to do something terrible. What it is not even StarClan knows, but many of the innocent will die. You have to go back."

"Why me? I can never go back! I am just a fugitive with not a scrap left to give. I couldn't even give my own Clan my loyalty. I am nothing. I can't." She chocked the words out and fought to control the sobs that were athering in her chest, the same ones that she had been holding back since the day she looked back on ShadowClan forever. "I...am banished."

"It has to be you. You kept something special with you even if you left everything else behind. You kept your pride for sometimes it is all you have left to cling to, and it will get you through anything," Darkclaw meowed.

Petalstar rested her tail on Darkclaw's shoulder. "It is time we leave now."

Darkclaw turned to follow Petalstar reluctantly, and Rose knew that this moment would come when he would leave her once again. She knew this moment would come and hated every moment of it. "Until we meet again, my sweet. Someday in StarClan."

Darkclaw was gone then and so was StarClan.


	7. Chapter 7

Rose knew now that she had to return to the Clans to stop a big battle from occuring, but she did not expect how she would do so. Thinking wasn't required though because the answer to her problems came across her path on her way out of Highstones. Little did Rose know that a pair of watchful eyes surveyed her from a distance in the shadows.

Rose walked on. She also knew that she couldn't leave her kits alone for much longer. She had never left Pinekit and Tanglekit this log before, and with the constant fear of ShadowClan weighing her down, she could not bear to leave her precious kits for any longer than a ingle night. Were they still okay?

Suddenly a cat appeared from nowhere and stood in front of her, studying her with pale blue eyes. Rose recognized the ShadowClan medicine cat immediately by his pointed, wide-set ears and froze. It was Mallowfur, one of the many cats who she wished to never see again. She would have turned to flee if she wasn't curious to what Mallowfur had to say. Maybe StarClan sent her to lead her to the camp and make peace.

Mallowfur looked her up and down as if trying to remember who she was. "Rosedapple, is that you? Yes, that is you, right?"

Rose dug her claws in the damp earth to sustain her trembling. "Yes, Mallowfur. It is me."

"What are you doing back here? You must leave. Hurry before Meadowstar comes," Mallowfur hissed and wearily looked around.

"Meadowstar?"

She nodded. "Shalestar died a few nights ago from a fox when he went hunting alone in the forest. Meadowwind has succeeded him and took on the name Meadowstar. I am escorting her to the Moonstone. Hurry and leave. You were never here."

Rose felt a rush of gratitude to her old friend. She used to play with Mallowfur in the nursery when they were both kits. Mallowfur always dreamed of becoming a medicine cat ever since the previous medicine cat healed her when she got whitecough as a kit, and the two of them would play with whatever herbs they could find growing around camp to heal injuries from a vicious fox attack or RiverClan raid, or whatever other dangers they wanted. They have always been close friend even when both took different paths in life. Yes, it was time to leave before Meadowstar came.

Rose nodded gratefully to Mallowfur and turned to run but a sharp voice unlike Mallowfur's soft voice split through the night. "Stop!"

Meadowwind, or Meadowstar now was a large ginger cat who had served as Shalestar's deputy for many moons before Rose was even born. She had always respected the experienced warrior, and was no doubt the obvious choice for the responsibility of deputy. She stood much taller than the small medicine cat and her tail was fluffed out challengingly.

"Greetings, Meadowstar. Mallowfur told me you are leader now. Congratulations," Rose said evenly and dipped her head respectfully.

"Rosedapple. Yes, I am sure we all remember your accomplishments," Meadowstar replied with heavy scorn in her voice that made Rose feel sick to her stomach. "Perhaps you have forgotten that you've been banished? Is that why you are stumbling over here like a mouse in my paws?"

"I am in Highstones, not in Clan territory," Rose pointed out.

"Perhaps you have been banished from Clan territory as said in the Gathering, but to ShadowClan your banishment expands much further than that, Rosedapple," Meadowstar purred.

"I go by Rose now."

Mallowfur gave her a sympathetic glance.

"Living as a loner now I assume? I don't blame you for stripping yourself of such an awful burden. After all, we still do remember your accomplishments. Do I have to review them with you?"

Rose shook her head. "No."

"Where is Darkclaw, that ThunderClan warrior? Maybe is you call him he will come and roll over at your paws," the new ShadowClan leader pressed on.

Rose gritted her teeth and restrained herself from leaping on Meadowstar and avenging her mate, but she still had to get away from Clan territory with her limbs intact. "You know very well what happened to Darkclaw."

"Oh yes. I remember now. That is one less traitor in the forest, but there is still one that remains," Meadowstar meowed and glared at Rose with hatrid. "Yes, because of you many loyal cats had to die. Many went to hunt with StarClan long before their time."

Rose avoided her hateful glare and kneaded the ground with her paws. "I don't want any trouble. I will just be going now and you will never hear from me again. I must return to my kits."

Meadowstar took an aggressive step forward, clearly objecting to the idea. "Nonsense. Why such a hasty retreat? I am sure you would much rather follow us back to camp to greet your old friends again, wouldn't you?"

For the first time since Meadowstar came Mallowfur stood between her Clan leader and Rose. "Meadowstar, we should just let her go. She has nowhere to go, and she has to et back to her kits. She hasn't stolen any prey or anything like that," she insisted in Rose's defense.

"You wish it could ed like that, Rose, but unfortunately it has just got too complicated for that. There is no room for traitors in this forest, especially the traitors that are responsible for the deaths of their own Clan mates."

Rose backed up, but a large tree trunk blocked off her escape. "It wasn't my fault..."

"Yes, it was, my friend. There is no point tossing around the blame game anymore. Mallowfur."

At her leader's cue Mallowfur hesitantly approached Rose, her gentle blue eyes downcast.

At Mallowfur's hesitation Meadowstar only seemed amused. "Go ahead."

As much as it pained Mallowfur, she lifted a paw, unsheathing her claws and aimed for Rose's face, all the while fighting back the urge to help her old friend. Rose backed up as far as she could and closed her eyes, waiting for those sharp claws to score down her face, but the stinging sensation never came. She opened an eye and still saw Mallowfur frozen in place, studying her own claws like she couldn't believe she was about to use them to hurt her friend.

"I understand, Mallowfur. You can't hurt our precious visitor. Very well, but Rose is coming back to the ShadowClan camp with us. Go without a fight and no harm will come to you," Meadowstar said and came up to Rose's side.

"But...what about my kits?" Rose's voice came out as only a pitiful squeak.

"I am sure they will be fine. They are older than when I last saw them," Mallowfur meowed, trying to sound reassuring but failing miserably.

The three of them disappeared back into the trees away from Highstones where ShadowClan territory stretched ahead. Rose knew that there was a possible chance she would never see Highstones again. Or Ginger, Lila, her kits, or anything else again for that matter. She followed Mallowfur and Meadowstar resentfully, going to face justice at last.


	8. Chapter 8

"Do you want to toss this ball around?" Pinekit asked Tanglekit and boredly hooked her claws into the shiny metallic ball.

"We have already played that today," Tanglekit complained with a yawn. "Maybe we can go play with Uncle Ginger."

Pinekit seemed fascinated by the idea, but then she remembered that Ginger went out that morning, probably to escape and get some peace. That idea was out. "Maybe Lila can tell us a story," she suggested.

The dark tabby kit looked at the sleeping figure a few tail-lengths away. "I think that idea is out too. When will Mom get back?"

Pinekit shrugged. Their mother had often left them to go to unknown places and left them in Lila's care until she returned. There was no doubt that Rose would return soon, maybe even with a good story to share. She wondered when Rose would take them on her adventures of granduer, but each time she would keep them here with Lila and Ginger until she got back. Well, Lila mostly because Ginger would normally leave to regain sanity. The two kits had even tried following Rose one time, but they didn't even get out of the alley before Tanglekit fell off a trashcan and gave them away.

"You two are getting pretty good at stalking, but you are going to have to do better than that, Tanglekit," Rose told him and led them back to the alley. "I have taught you two well. Maybe it is about time for you to become apprentices."

Pinekit wasn't sure if she was meant to hear that last comment for when she asked what an apprentice is Rose didn't give her a direct answer.

"What if something bad happened?" Tanglekit suggested.

"Don't say that. I am sure Mom will be back," Pinekit said although she wasn't exactly sure. She herself was getting concerned.

Ginger returned, trailing a big rat with him. The two kits stared at it with amazement. It had to be bigger than they were!

"Where did you get that? Cool, is it dead?" Tanglekit batted at its long slimy tail. "Can we eat it?"

"Actually I caught it for Rose. She seemed a litle troubled last night, and I thought it would make her feel better." Ginger groomed a few patches of blood from his russet-colored fur. "Yes, this little devil put up quite a fight."

Pinekit took a step back with disgust when she looked into those sightless eyes, leaving Tanglekit to mangle the body himself. "We don't know where Mom is. She never came back."

Ginger seemed a little surprised, but he kept on grooming. "Well, it is probably nothing to worry about. She is most likely out in the forest."

"Doing what?" the kits chorused. They had never been in the forest before and were itching to learn about a new part of the world they lived in.

"Not sure really, but she does come from the forest, so she might just be saying hello to some old friends..."

"Hunting. She told me she went out hunting," Lila meowed. Pinekit and Tanglekit hasn't even heard her approach them. "There is nothing left to discuss."

Tanglekit could sense uneasiness in the air and knew Lila was trying to get Ginger to stop talking about the forest. Why?

"Does TigerClan live in the forest?" Pinekit asked. "What kind of old friends?"

"No one you would know. Now go to sleep. You night owls have been up all night." Lila ushered the two protesting kits back to the box with her tail. "Naptime."

"But we aren't tired!" Tanglekit complained. "You just want to get rid of us."

"That is right," Ginger added and tossed the rat in the box for them to mangle. "You two catch on fast."

Pinekit and Tanglekit curled up in little balls to take the nap forced upon them. Then Tangleki asked, "I have a feeling something is wrong. Why ws Lila so quick to send us to out naps like that. Is it something to do with the forest?" he asked.

Pinekit lazily opened one eye to look back at him. "I don't know. Maybe. It doesn't matter I guess. We will get Mom to tell us when she gets back." The two kits fell to sleep dreaming of the three great Clans, LeopardClan, LionClan, and TigerClan.


	9. Chapter 9

Pinekit and Tanglekit went the rest of the day worrying about Rose, not knowing why she hadn't returned with some prey or a great story to tell them. Pinekit tried not to show it to her brother, but she was actually scared. She just woke up from her nap when she heard the sound of voices outside. She would have ignored them and went back to sleep but she heard the words "Rose" and "forest." That instantly drew her attention and she sneaked forward behind a crate to listen. She didn't bother waking Tanglekit in case she missed something important.

"I am worried for Rose. I met with her before she left. I know where she went, and I have a feeling things didn't turn out like she planned. She said she would be back by sunrise, you know," Lila meowed.

Ginger paused a moment before replying and Pinekit could picture him examining his claws, one of his normal responses when she wasn't sure what to say. "So are you sure Rose went back to the forest?"

"I'm positive. She left secretly. If she was out hunting or something of that sort don't you think she would have told you, or her kits?" she pointed out, her voice cracking with worry. Pinekit felt like a stone was lodged in the pit of her stomach. "The poor things. What are we going to tell them?"

"Sorry, kits. Mom was captured by a band of evil cats that live in the forest," Ginger suggested.

"This is serious. Rose could be in danger," Lila insisted.

Pinekit thought she heard the sounds of paw steps coming closer and shrank backward until she bumped into her brother who woke up with a stir. "What is it?" he grumbled.

Pinekit quickly poured out everything she overheard, her worries making her even more desperate to tell him. "Ginger said Mom could have been captured by evil forest cats."

"Like TigerClan you mean?"

Pinekit nodded. "I think so. Mom said they live in the forest. Oh no." She sniffled and wiped away a tear with her paw. "I heard everything. TigerClan got her for sure, or one of the other great Clans. What are we going to do?"

Tanglekit tried to reason this out, but couldn't think of any other reasons why Rose was held up in the forest for so long. What else could evil cats be than the enormous orange and black tigers that stalked about in the shadows? "Well, maybe they aren't bad at all. Maybe she was visiting their camp or something like that. Afte all, we are descended from TigerClan warriors, right?"

"But I heard everything. It sure sounded like something bad happened. I'm worried, Tanglekit. What are we going to do?" Pinekit meowed desperately.

"There is only one thing we can do. We will have to go after her," Tanglekit announced. "We can't just sit back and do nothing."

"But Lila and Ginger will worry about us." Pinekit felt rotten leaving them behind with no idea if they were safe or not. What did they deserve to be abandoned like that? But still, they had to go rescue Rose no matter what it took. At last she nodded, still unsure about her decision still but firm on it allthe same. "All right, Tanglekit. We will go tonight when Lila and Ginger are asleep. Maybe by then Mom will come back." That was a big maybe.


	10. Chapter 10

Rose went through the so-familiar forest that she thought she had left behind forever. Old memories of her old life stirred up, and it was almost like she never left, except now she wasn't following her Clanmates as a member of ShadowClan, but as a prisoner.

There was where she had caught a raven big enough to feed half the Clan.

There was where she went on her first patrol.

All the places were so familiar.

"I bet you are surprised to see the camp," Meadowstar meowed. "After sleeping in abandoned twoleg nests for so long, you probably forgot what a civilized Clan is like."

Rose said nothing, and paused at the camp entrance. If there was a way she could disappear right now and never face her past, she would have done it. Her Clan could never see her again. Not like this.

"Move." Meadowstar led the way into camp, and Mallowfur brushed past Rose in a comforting gesture.

The camp was just as Rose remembered. She looked around and saw everything was the same. There was the warriors den, the nursery…it was all here. There was even a new litter of kits peeking out of the nursery.

Riverclaw, the deputy, looked on at Rose with surprise. "What is going on?"

Meadowstar's gaze passed over Rose with scorn. "An old visitor has come back to visit us."

"But she was banished forever. She is supposed to be dead," Riverclaw objected. "Why has she been brought back here?"

"For her trial," Mallowfur added.

Rose was daunted by the unfriendly greetings, but she didn't expect anyone to wish her back. After what she did to be exiled, everyone scorned her now.

Soon she was surrounded by a mob of cats, most murmuring with disbelief, and Rose noticed the hostile glances they gave her. They were all her friends at one point…

She gasped when she saw a gray tabby streak across the clearing, fur bristled, and claws extended. He looked hungry with battle, and he pounced toward Rose.

She crouched to the ground, prepared to defend herself from the sudden attack when Meadowstar plucked him out of the air by the scruff and he thudded on the ground. "No touching the prisoner. I will not allow this in my camp."

She was horrified. She grew up with this cat, and now he was trying to personally attack her. How many more cats wanted to do this to her?

"Are we having the trial right away?" Riverclaw asked.

Meadowstar cocked her head in thought. "You know, we will have the trial at sunset. I will have to think about this. There are plenty of old memories your presence has stirred up; memories I have wanted to forget, but have been forced to reconsider because of you," she decided. "Riverclaw, take Rose to the prison hold."

Meadowstar left, leaving Rose more exposed to the cats, and she followed behind Riverclaw closely to escape the hatred.

The dark prison hold was not the most pleasant place in the camp. In Rose's life in the ShadowClan camp, there never were any prisoners, and she didn't know what would await her. She was shoved inside, and automatically the darkness enveloped her. She couldn't even see the outline of her paws.

Riverclaw was guarding the entrance. Rose was trapped in the darkness with no way out. Even if she could escape, there was no way she could get through the exit on the other side of the camp without getting caught. She was forced to stay here to face the justice she had been evading for so long.


End file.
